Depth-charge launcher



Nov. 13, 1956 s. G. GERDN 2,770,169

DEPTH-CHARGE LAUNCHER Filed May 27, 1952 r 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

SVEN GUNNAR GERDIN ATTORNEY NOV. 13, S G GER I DEPTH-CHARGE LAUNCHER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27, 1952 INVENTOR. S VEN GUNNAR GERDIN ATTORNEY s. G. GERDIN 2,770,169

DEPTH-CHARGE LAUNCHER Nov. 13, 1956 3 Sheets-Shem 5 Filed May 27, 1952 INVENTOR.

SVEN GUNNAR GERDIN ATTORNEY Unite a The present invention refers to a depth-charge launcher, and then to the arrangement of the launching tubes.

Depth-charge launchers are known, which consist of an amount of charging tubes which are arranged in a fixed frame. In this frame the launching tubes have been given a fixed, non-adjustable direction. When these launching tubes are to be supplied with depth charges, the charges are inserted into the tubes either through the muzzle of the tube or through the ends of the tube. For the insertion of the depth charges in the launching tubes, a hoist machinery is required, which is movable around the depth-charge launcher itself. Furthermore, service personnel is required, which is stationed at the depth-charge launcher. When the depth charges are to be launched, either one depth charge at a time or all at once, the hoist machinery has to be moved away and the service personnel must leave its position. This moving is very impractical, and time-absorbing. Furthermore it is difficult to have service personnel which must leave the depth-charge launcher after loading.

The present invention has as an object to provide a depth-charge launcher Where the personnel can insert the depth charges in all the launching tubes from a place which is situated under the depth-charge launcher, whereby the said hoist machinery at the depth-charge launcher 'is not required.

A depth-charge launcher, consisting of a number of parallel launching tubes, arranged in a common supporting structure, is characterized according to the present invention by the said supporting structure being movably ar-- ranged in such a way that the said launching tubes are elevatable and traversable, that the axes of the launching tubes intersect one and the same arc and that the said axes are parallel to the normal through the bending centre of the said arc.

The present invention will be described more in detail in connection with the three enclosed drawings, Where Fig. 1 shows a depth-charge launcher with a hoist machinery for the hoisting of depth-charges, Fig. 2, a part of the hoist shaft, Fig. 3, the depth-charge launcher under loading, and Fig. 4, the depth-charge launcher partly sectionalized to illustrate the operating machinery.

In the Fig. 1, 1 is a floor, which for example can consist of the deck of a ship. On the floor there is a base 2 arranged, around which a parallelepipedical body 3 is rotatably arranged. From the body 3, two arms 4 and 5 extend which arms at their ends are provided with supporting means 6 for trunnions arranged in a supporting frame 7. Of the said trunnions only one is visible. This one has been given the reference number 8. In the supporting frame 7, four launching tubes 9-12 are arranged. These tubes are at their back ends provided with means not shown for the supporting of the depth charges. Furthermore, these tubes are parallel and their axes situated on an arc, the center of which is situated in the turning centre of a body 3 when the axes of the tubes are parallel to the vertical axis through the turning centre of the body 3 as is shown in Fig. 3. In the figure there are shown four launching tubes, but it should be self evident that one can also use more or fewer tubes. In the floor there is a hole, 13, which can be covered by a door. From the said hole and from the underside of the floor a substantial rectangular hoist shaft, 13a, extends for hoisting depth charges. In one wall of the hoist shaft there is a hole. In that hole a body protrudes, prefertates atent ably a cylinder 15, the end of which is supported by supporting means of which the upper one, which is given the reference number 16, is visible. The said cylinder 15 is rotatable in the said supporting means. The side wall of the cylinder is provided with a number of axial recesses 17-20. At the lower end of the cylinder 15, a disk 21 is arranged, which has the same diameter as the cylinder. In the said disk, the recesses 22-25 are arranged, which are symmetrical in relation to the recesses previously mentioned, i. e. the recesses of the cylinder. The recesses 22-25 are a little smaller than the recesses previously mentioned. Because of that there is created at the lower end of each recess of the cylinder 15 two supporting edges. On these supporting edges the end of the depth-charge 26 can rest. In the hoist shaft, two endless chains 27 and 28 run. The two chains are parallel to each other and are driven by a motor 29 having a motor shaft 30 which drives over two conical gear wheels 31 and 32 a gear wheel 33, which in turn over a middle wheel 34 drives a gear wheel 35 which is arranged on a shaft 36. In the ends of the shaft two sprocket wheels 37 are arranged. Over each of these sprocket wheels 37 the two chains 27 and 28 run. At the very bottom of the hoist shaft parallel to the shaft 36, a shaft 39 is arraned, which at its ends is provided with sprocket wheels 40 and 41. The two chains 27 and 28 also run over these wheels. The motor 29 with its shaft, as well as the shafts 36 and 39 and the shafts of the gear wheels 33 and 34 are supported in a suitable manner in supporting means not shown. Within the hoist shaft 21 vertical wall 42 is arranged, which is situated in the same plane as the shafts 36 and 39. Through this wall there are obtained in effect two hoist shafts, the larger one of which is intended for hoisting charges. In this part hoist shaft a number of guide rails 43-46 are arranged. At the two chains 27 and 28 there is fastened a hoisting device in the form of a disk 47, fixed at a bracket device 48, which at its lower part is provided with two wheels 49 and 50, which run along the rails 51 and 52 which are fastened at the wall 42. When thus running, the wheels 49 and 50 lie close to the rails 51 and 52. The bracket device is also at its right part provided with two trundles 53 and 54 which run along the rail 45. When running, the trundles lie close to the rail 45. The disk 47 has a surface form which is very nearly like the surface form of the recesses 22-25. When the cylinder is turned into a position in which one of its recesses is aligned with disk 47 this disk will, when it is situated in the same plane as the disk 21, very nearly fill out the respective recess in the disk 21.

In Fig. 3, there is shown the same depth-charge launcher as in Fig. 1, which depth-charge launcher is elevated in such a way that the axes of the launching tubes are par: allel to the rotating axis of the body 3. The tubes are traversed in such a way that the tube 10 is situated opposite the hole 13. In the figure there is also shown a depth-charge 26 being inserted. As the hoist machinery is shown so clearly in the foregoing figure, it has been left out in the present figure, in order to make the present figure more simple and more clear.

In Fig. 4, the depth-charge launcher of Fig. l is shown partially in section. Also here the hoist machinery is left out, as it is not considered necessary for making clear the present figure, and as it has been shown in connection with Fig. 1. The parallelpiped-ical body 3 contains an electrical motor 55, which is provided with a shaft 56, at the end of which a gear wheel 57 is arranged. This gear wheel drives, over two middle wheels 58 and 59, two gear wheels 60 and 61. The middle wheels 58 and 59 are supported in a suitable Way in supporting means not shown. The gear wheel 60 is fixed in the one end of a shaft 60a, which consists of an input shaft to a regulatable gear-shift device 62. The output shaft 63 from the said gear-shift device is provided, on its free end, with a conical gear wheel 64, which is in mesh with a conical gear wheel 65, which is arranged on one end of a'vertical shaft 66 which on its other end seats a gear wheel 67, which is in mesh wi-th a gear are 68, fixed at the base 2. The gear wheel 61 is arranged at the one end of a shaft 69, which forms the input shaft of a regulatable gear-shift device 70. The output shaft 71 of the said gear-shift device is provided with two conical gear wheels 72 and 73, the conical wheel 72 of which is in mesh with the conical wheel 74 of a shaft 75, which on its other end supports a conical gear wheel 76, which is in mesh with a conical wheel 77, arranged on the one end of a vertical shaft 78, which on its lower end supports a conical gear wheel 79, which is in mesh with a conical gear wheel 80, arranged at one end of a shaft 81. The shaft 81 is connected over the elements 82-85 with a control handle 86, for turning the shaft 81 by hand. The gear wheel 73 engages a conical gear wheel 87 on the one end of a shaft 88, which on its other end supports a' gear wheel 89, which is in mesh with a toothed sector 90, fixed at the supporting frame 7. The parallelepipedical body 3 is fixed to the cylinder-shaped member 91, which is rotatably supported in the base 2. In the lower part the member 91 is provided with a gear are 92, which is in mesh with a gear wheel 93, arranged at one endof the shaft 94, which on its other end is provided with a conical gear wheel 95, which is in mesh with a conical gear wheel 96, which is arranged on one end of a gear shaft 97. The last-mentioned shaft is over the elements 98101 connected with a control handle 102 for turning the shaft by hand.

The depth-charge launcher described above functions as follows. We presume that the hoisting device containing the disk 47 is situated a little below the disk 21, and that the recesses 17-20 are empty. tion, three depth-charges are placed in the recesses 17, 18, and 19 in such a way that the lower ends of these charges rest against the supports which the disk 21 forms in each recess. Thereafter the cylinder 15 is rotated in such a manner that for example the recess 19 with the charge therein protrudes into the hoist shaft 13a. In the empty recess 20, there is now placed another charge, the magazine which is formed by the cylinder 15 is now fully loaded. The chargesin the magazine can now one after one be hoisted through the hoist shaft. Before this, however, the launching tubes must be turned in such a way that they can receive the charges. For turning the launching tubes the motor 55 is used, which rotates the gear-shift devices 62 and 70, whereby first the gear-shift device 70 is adjusted in such a way that the axes of the launching tubes become vertical. By means of the gearshift device 62 the depth-charge launcher is then traversed in such a way that the launching tubes one by one will be situated exactly opposite the hole 13, in such a way that each launching tube forms an extension of the hoist shaft 13a. It is then appropriate to first let the tube 9 be situ-v ated over the hole 13-and thereafter in turn the tubes 10', 11, and 12. It is also possible to start with the tube 10 as shown in Fig. 3. We start from that the tube 10 forms a continuation of the hoist shaft. In this position we start the motor 29, whereby the hoist device with the disk 47 will move upwards, whereby the disk 47 will. come into close contact with the end of the charge andlifts the charge upwards. When the charge has left its recess in the cylinder 15, it will be guided by the rails 43-46 in the right part hoist shaft. In order to make it possible to insert the projectile in the tube 10, the hoist device has to pass through the hole 13 and to extend slightly into the tube 10 until the mentioned but not shown fastening device snap is behind the end of the charge. From the Fig. 2 it is clear and distinct that the hoisting device is of such a design that it can protrude through the hole 13 and into one of the launching tubes. When all the launching tubes of the depth-charge launcher-are provided with In this initial posi-' depth-charge, the depth-charge, launcher by means of the F motor 55 and the gear-shift devices 62 and 70 can be elevated or traversed as desired, whereafter the depthcharges by means of conventional discharge devices not shown can be launched either at one time, or one by one, or in any other desired'succession. Incase the aiming machinery for onereason or another'should not function, there are possibilities to elevate as; well'as' to traverse the depth-charge launcher by the control'handles 86 and 102.

1. A launcher for depth charges comprising a plurality of launching tubes,'a support structure fixedly supporting said tubes in a spatial relationship such that the axes of the tubes are parallel to each other and disposed in-arcuate arrangement, a frame structure mounted rotatably about an "axis perpendicular to the horizontal and supporting said support structure pivotally about a horizontal axis for traversing and elevating said launching tubes, the said tube support structure and the said frame support structure being disposed in a spatial relationship such that the center of the are as defined by the tube axes coincides with the rotationa'l center axis of the frame structure in the perpendicular position of the tubes, and a loading mechanism for loading depth charges into said tubes when in perpendicular position, said loading mechanism including a loading station situated in registry with said are whereby said tubes, when perpendicularly disposed, are rotatable one by one into alignment with said loading station for successively loading said tubes.

2. A launcher for depth charges comprising a plurality of launching tubes, a support structurefixedly supporting said tubes in a spatial relationship such that the axes of the tubes are parallel to each other and disposed in arcuate arrangement, a'frame structure mounted rotatably about an axis perpendicular to the horizontal and supporting said support structure pivotally about a horizontal axis for traversing and elevating said launching tubes, the said tube support structure and the said frame support structure being disposed in aspatial relationship such that the center of the are as defined by the tube axes coincides with the rotational center axis of the frame structure in the perpendicular fposition'of the tubes, and a hoisting mechanism for hoisting depth charges disposed below said framestructure, the said mechanism including an upwardly extendingperpendicular hoist shaft having an axis'intersecting the arc asdefinediby said tube axes whereby the said tubes, when perpendicularly disposed, are rotatable one by. one intotvalig'nment With said shaft for loading said' tubes with depth charges through said hoist shaft.

.3. A launcher according to claim .2 and further comprising ahorizontal partition wall, the'said support structure,.the tubes supported thereon and the frame structure supporting the support structure being disposed above said wall and the said hoistin'g mechanism being disposed below said wall, the said'partition wall being formed with an aperture for passage of said hoist shaft therethroug h.

4. A launcheraccording to claim 3-and further comprising drive -.means disposed below said partition wall and coacting with saidfr-ame structure and said support structure for rotating saidframe structure and pivoting said support structure respectively independently of each other to-move the-tubesinto'theloading position and the' discharge position" respectively from a location below saidpartition wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,334,983 Arter Mar. 30, 1920 1,373,381 Cooke Mar. 29, 1921 1,444,768 Wright Feb. 6, 1923 1,821,521 Mackine- Sept. 1, 1931 FOREIGNIPATEN TS l V $66,972: France .lune 23,. .1951 

